My late mother was a fan of alternative medicine. She took dietary supplements, which she referred to as herbal medicine. She was also a proponent of alternative therapies. At one point she got chelation therapy in Reno, Nevada to remove what she believed was heavy metal poisoning. Even when her doctor discovered breast cancer she took an alternative route and successfully recovered without surgery. Although not a complete medical skeptic, she had definite opinions and wanted a say in her medical care.
Medical skepticism is common among Americans, even among those who trust their own doctors. Vaccine skepticism is especially common these days. While I am not a medical skeptic, I consider myself a medical realist. Not every drug works well. Too many drugs rely on the placebo effect for their therapeutic method. Years ago, when writing about drugs I stumbled across a website where people could rate their medications for efficacy. Viagra rated high, four stars out of five. People said it worked but some patients complained about headaches. Nonsedating antihistamines rated rather low, less than two stars out of five. People mainly said they offered no relief. Then there is the debate over back surgery versus physical therapy. Some people belief the knife is magical, while others think surgery is extreme. It is generally wise to try the least invasive therapy first (and least expensive) before moving up the ladder.
A new study in the Journal of Behavioral Sciences looks at whether illusory beliefs drive people away from medicine or if illusory beliefs are the result of mistrust of medicine. The following is from Medical Xpress:
Our beliefs about health often unconsciously shape the decisions we make daily. However, not all these beliefs are based on solid scientific foundations. Some, although well-intentioned, are illusory beliefs about health, i.e., misconceptions that can lead us away from effective practices and towards choices that can harm our health.
One example is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), whose practices can even provide well-being and relief, with harmless effects. However, the generalized rejection of approaches based on scientific evidence can pose serious health risks.
The results of a study of over 1,500 people found the obvious:
The findings revealed a clear pattern: the stronger the belief in pseudoscientific ideas, the greater the distrust of conventional medicine and the higher the tendency to seek invalidated therapies.
Distrust of scientific therapies can have profound implications for health. In my mother’s case she could have picked a less effective cancer therapy. Apple founder, Steve Jobs, famously decided to initially fight his pancreatic cancer with diet rather than surgery, even though his cancer was the more rare slow-growing type. The University of Florida Medical School states:
Our health is influenced by many factors, including genetics, environment and lifestyle. But one critical factor often overlooked is how our personal beliefs shape our willingness — or reluctance — to follow expert health advice.
We call this phenomenon the “health belief model,” and it can help us understand why some individuals ignore life-saving recommendations from healthcare professionals, scientists and public health officials.
Men are especially prone to avoid their physicians, whereas women tend to see doctors about one-third more often than men. The CDC reports that men tend to see physicians 2.73 times each year compared to 3.66 for women. Just about every physician I have talked to has a story about a wife who made her husband finally seek care for a problem he had been avoiding, often with serious consequences. At the same time, advertisements for drugs are plastered on the pages of magazine that seniors read and during television shows seniors watch. People might possibly be less skeptical if they had a clear idea of how well many therapies and drugs work. The solution is to be involved and take charge of your own medical decision making.